The Vermont Mathematics Initiative
Critical Issues in Education: Teaching Teachers Mathematics
May 31, 2007 10:00 AM to 10:50 AM
Speakers:
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Abstract: |
The Vermont Mathematics Initiative (VMI) is a statewide mathematics professional development program that
represents a partnership of the University of Vermont, the Vermont State Department of Education, and local
school districts. At the heart of the VMI is a comprehensive, three-year, master’s degree program, begun in
1999, designed to build a corps of mathematics teacher leaders across the state of Vermont who are deeply
knowledgeable in mathematics content and can apply their knowledge to improve mathematics instruction. In
formal evaluations conducted over several years, comparisons of VMI grouped schools with control schools has
yielded an overall consistent pattern of the VMI schools exceeding the performance of control schools in both
cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis. Originally designed for K-6 teachers, the program has been found to
be equally successful with middle school teachers as well.
The second stage of the VMI, currently being piloted in AY2006-2007, is designed to reach all elementary
teachers in the state with a core set of mathematics courses distilled from the VMI master’s degree curriculum,
in which the learning and transfer to the classroom is sustained regionally and in districts through mentoring
by the VMI teacher leaders.
The VMI model has been adopted in other locations – in Nebraska, New Mexico, Massachusetts, and Little
Rock, Arkansas – and the Intel Foundation is in the process of developing a national initiative based on the
VMI.
This presentation will describe key features of the program that have resulted in improved teacher content
knowledge, classroom practice, school and district leadership, and student learning. |
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